Classes 21-22 - two good ones

I love Bikram yoga - anyone who has talked to me over the past month will tell you that it's become something I'm passionate about and something that has changed me. However, it's rare that I have two classes in a row that are good classes. As I've said before, I'm different every day, and therefore my practice is different every day. Friday and Saturday were an exception, though, as I felt both classes were good classes.

Friday's was a bit crowded and filled with a lot of new students. One of my biggest pet peeves is when there are a bunch of newbies - not because of their practice, but because they TOTALLY ignore the "no talking" sign as they enter the room. It's like a huge social hour and they don't notice that everyone else was silent as they entered. Those 25 minutes before class are important - I adjust to the heat, think about a million things for work, and generally relax. Class was good, though, and I'm really finding a breakthrough in triangle. My thigh is much closer to parallel with the floor, which is making it so much easier to not slide throughout the posture.

Friday's class was a bit different, though, because there was a visiting teacher. They're trying out some new teachers because the studio needs to add more classes. This teacher was a lot quieter than Gretchen and Sarah (hardly anything during the breathing exercises and not a lot straying from the dialogue). I'm used to Gretchen and Sarah constantly talking and giving encouragement. The teacher was good, though, and I think I'll just have to get used to quieter classes if she becomes permanent. I'm spoiled in that I've only taken Bikram from a few people, and they're all very outgoing and talkative. They each have their own style, though (I miss Lizzie walking on my feet).

Saturday's class was a morning class, which meant not much time between classes. My breathing exercise was crap - I was yawning the whole time and basically couldn't get it, which usually sets the tone for a bad class. That wasn't the case, though. Class was good and I felt like I've improved on a lot of things. That's the point of this whole challenge. I'm seeing a lot of improvement, not overnight, but as a whole. I wish I could've had pictures of me in each posture then and now. But who wants photos of themselves in Bikram class?

Speaking of pictures, the newspaper article I mentioned earlier is out today. I was a bit misquoted in the beginning (I said I questioned myself the first few classes, not daily) and I feel like I gave a LOT of great quotes that weren't used, but it's a good article and it's great publicity for the studio. I wonder if it'll have any effect on crowds in class this afternoon. I'd better get there early...

In other personal news, we're renovating our kitchen right now. I'll add more about that later (Extreme Makeover: Davies Edition!), but I'm sure that'll be consuming a lot of my time over the next week. Fun!